In Finland, there are unsettling feelings regarding the push for H1N1 flu vaccines for young people. It was widely suspected that the sudden spike in Narcolepsy diagnoses in children resulted from the vaccine. A top health official admitted that the vaccine was a mistake and soon after, a Narcolepsy panel confirmed the vaccine’s link to the sleep disorder. The startling revelations did nothing to stop the relentless push for the vaccine in Europe! Health officials have an “ends justifies the means” attitude figuring that chronic narcolepsy somehow outweighs the risk of contracting the flu.~Health Freedoms

Panel Confirms H1N1 Vaccine Link with Narcolepsy

A report released on Tuesday says there is likely a link between the swine flu vaccine used in Finland and cases of narcolepsy in children.

The national narcolepsy panel’s interim report suggests that the Pandemrix vaccination increases the risk of narcolepsy nearly tenfold. It says that children aged 4 to 19 were at nine times greater risk of contracting narcolepsy within eight months of the inoculation, compared with those who did not get the jab.

The working group says it is most likely that the vaccine increased the likelihood of falling ill with narcolepsy in conjunction with some other factor or factors.

It expects to confirm the preliminary findings within a few months.

Fifty-two Finnish children who were given the vaccine last winter subsequently came down with narcolepsy, which can be a debilitating lifelong condition. That is many times more than the annual average in recent years.

An increase was also reported in Sweden, but not so far in other countries where the vaccine was used.

“The trigger for narcolepsy remains unclear, which makes it difficult to evaluate the link to the vaccine,” says Kari Välimäki, Permanent Secretary at the Minister of Social Affairs and Health.

The nation’s highest-ranking physician, Risto Pelkonen, told the newspaper Ilta-Sanomat that the families of these narcolepsy patients should be reimbursed by the state.

Among those 4-19 years of age who received Pandemrix®-vaccine had a manifold increased risk of falling ill with narcolepsy during the 8 months following vaccination in comparison to those unvaccinated in the same age group. Based on the evaluation done so far, the National Narcolepsy Task Force finds it probable that Pandemrix®-vaccination contributed to the observed increase in incidence of narcolepsy among those 4 -19 years of age. Currently, the most likely explanation is that the increase in narcolepsy is by joint effect of the vaccine and some other factor(s). At the moment, there is no evidence that the increase in narcolepsy observed in Finland could be attributed to the vaccine lots used. The results can be read in the Interim Report of the Task Force which is published on February 1st, 2011.

The association of Pandemrix-vaccination and narcolepsy was studied using extensive registry based data. Data gathered from hospital discharge registries on patients fallen ill with narcolepsy during years 2009-10 was linked with data from primary care records on pandemic vaccination. The observed association is so evident that it is unlikely that other so-called confounding factors could fully explain the phenomenon.

In Finland during years 2009–10, 60 children and adolescents aged 4-19 years fell ill with narcolepsy. These figures base on data from hospitals and primary care, and the review of individual patient records by a panel of neurologists and sleep researchers. Of those fallen ill, 52 (almost 90 percent) had received Pandemrix® vaccine, while the vaccine coverage in the entire age group was 70 percent. Based on the preliminary analyses, the risk of falling ill with narcolepsy among those vaccinated in the 4-19 years age group was 9-fold in comparison to those unvaccinated in the same age group. This increase was most pronounced among those 5–15 years of age. No cases were observed among those under 4 years of age. Also, no increase in cases of narcolepsy or signs of vaccination impacting risk of falling ill with narcolepsy was observed among those above 19 years of age.

In addition to Finland, increase in cases of narcolepsy observed only in Sweden and Iceland

In 2009, among countries using similar pandemic vaccine as was used in Finland, an increase in cases of narcolepsy has been observed only in Finland, Sweden and Iceland. Contrary to the observations in Finland, narcolepsy has occurred in greater numbers than expected also among unvaccinated children and teenagers in Iceland.

The Chief Medical Officer of Finland’s National Public Health Institute has conceded that it may have been unnecessary to vaccinate children and young people against swine flu. Dr Terhi Kilpi told the Väli-Suomi newspaper group’s Sunday newspaper supplement that perhaps the vaccine should not have been given to 5-20 year-olds.

Kilpi said that she would no longer recommends the vaccination for this age group. She added that if she had known of the potential consequences, she would have not inoculated 5-20 year-olds.

“A year ago, the current understanding was that the swine flu was a danger specifically for the young. At that time there was not yet any reason to suspect serious side effects to the vaccine,” said Kilpi.

The vaccine is now suspected to be linked to an increase in the number of cases of narcolepsy affecting children and young people in Finland, Sweden and Iceland. In Finland, 52 children have been diagnosed with narcolepsy.

Even though it is under suspicion, the vaccine has been reintroduced in the UK where a new swine flu epidemic has caused the deaths of some 200 people.

Dr Kilpi added that the negative publicity surrounding the swine flu vaccine is not worrying.

“Most people understand that vaccinations prevent serious, fatal diseases. The benefits they provide outweigh the disadvantages many times over.”

Finland’s National Public Health Institute is to publish an interim report on the links between narcolepsy, the swine flu, and the vaccine this coming Tuesday.